Sailing off Majorca

The Captain has taken us on a pleasant detour through the Balearic Islands
off the coast of Spain. We lost sight of land after we left the Straits
of Messina the other night and were on the open sea for 2 days. Seeing
the lovely hills of Majorca was a pleasant diversion this morning.
Everyone has settled back into their routines. Classes are going on, work
details are as noisy as ever and I'm back in my HOT library some 10 hours
a day.

Captain Smith has promised me that things are going to cool down as soon
as we draw the fuel from the tank below me and we enter the cooler
Atlantic waters. He also said that they hope to do some modifications
this year to alleviate the overheating in the library, game room, computer
room and cardio gym. These rooms all are in the same area and suffer from
the radiant heat from the tanks as well as lack of adequate ventilation.
It has been quite uncomfortable. Thankfully I have a reliable cadet
working for me who allows me to take breaks to cool down.

Soon, we'll head southwest toward the Straits of Gibraltar and the open
sea. I hope the ocean will be calm. We've been spoiled by the gentle
Mediterranean. This is the latest the Ship has been out on these cruises
and the hurricane season is further along than we are used to sailing in.
The tropical depressions that forming the eastern Atlantic can make things
uncomfortable even if they never develop into full-blown storms. We can
only hope.